Flawless Imperfections
by aspdstra
Summary: There's always somebody for someone...they just don't always know it - NathanBrooke fic - CHAPTER 3 is up! R&R!
1. Send the Pain Below

**Flawless Imperfections**

By: SnarkMasterJ

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own anything even remotely related to OTH or any of its subsidies. So if you want to sue me, you'll have to find another reason besides that. And forget about those stalking charges Chad filed…no one ever proved anything. I did however borrow some the N/B dialogue from TSFSM, 'cause I liked it.  
**RATING:** PG-13/R (Right now, for language - later? For other things)  
**PAIRING: **N/B  
**SUMMARY:** Switch off between Brooke's and Nathan's POV; There's always somebody for someone out there…they just don't always know it.  
**A/N: **I figured I'd write a little N/B fic myself, since I've become so re-obsessed with the couple. Also, I need to state some specifics as far as the plot and setting are concerned:

-Nathan and Haley have never dated.  
-All events up until "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" have come to pass, excluding anything N/H-related - that means Lucas and Brooke have dated, and the L/P cheating ordeal has happened.  
-I'm changing things around so instead of Brooke getting drunk back in "The Search for Something More" and ruining things between Nathan and Haley, that part takes place after the happenings of SEHC. So Nathan and Haley had just started to become friends and Brooke, being bitter over having her heart broken, took it out on them, and they (N/H) will be no more in the story. But the Brooke-coming-by-to-apologize part still happens, only later.

I hope that made sense, and that you guys like the first installment. Please let me know what you think, because a lot of the updating depends on the response. So…enjoy!

**SHOUT-OUTS:** To all my homies at Fan Forum (Maz, Mere, Ciera, Aleah, Dani, Emily, Betsy, Lisa, Karlie, etc.) - you all rock the ultimate casbah.

* * *

**CHAPTER I: Send The Pain Below**

If life was a dance, then Brooke Davis was at the point that she just wanted to forget the steps. Her misery didn't want company right now, it just wanted to make her more miserable. On the surface, it had appeared that Brooke had it all together - she was gorgeous, she was popular (though sometimes not for the right reasons), she was unarguably rich, she knew how to dress, she had a boyfriend and best friend who loved and cared for her…and made out with each other behind her back then lied about it. Yeah, minor little detail there…God, they'd even pretend to not hang around each other afterward, like that was supposed to make everything better overnight. How about they go find someone's flesh wound that needed a band-aid - shows what they knew about healing methods. Well, good thing they weren't keeping up pretenses anymore and had just decided to make their smarmy relationship official - at least they were being honest about some things.

What pissed her off even more than being duped and lied to was that she actually _cared_. It would be different, maybe, if her emotions weren't so heavily invested…but they were. That was her best friend, whom she'd always been there for and loved more than anyone, and then there was the guy who claimed to "give a rat's ass about her" - what a joke. A cruel, unfair, no-punch-line joke.

Chipping away at the splintering wood from the picnic table she sat at, Brooke had to roll her eyes and laugh sardonically - so this is what bad karma felt like. Somehow, being mean to others in the past for no reason was coming back to bite her in the ass as hard as humanly possible; the fact that being with Lucas had changed the person she was didn't make any difference, especially after what she'd done to Nathan and Haley.

Oh crap…she'd almost forgot about that.

She must've been really shit-faced on Saturday to have forgotten about something like that…she was a complete and total bitch, and she'd taken it out on them because she didn't know how to deal with her own pain. Dressing slutty, being a smart ass, getting drunk and inflicting discomfort on the closest breathing human - that was Old Brooke, and she didn't want to be that person ever again…even if she was bitter about being basically left alone in the world. It wasn't their fault, and she needed to make things right.

Whatever, she'd deal with that later. The ringing of the end-of-lunch bell reminded her that she still had to get through the school day in one piece and hopefully avoid any contact with certain individuals that will go unnamed - Mondays really sucked the big one sometimes.

Walking down the hallway to her locker, Brooke spotted something that confirmed her worst nightmare - Lucas and Peyton standing there, waiting for her…together. She almost just kept on going, but she really had to put away these lethally-heavy text books that she really didn't need. Rolling her eyes, she pushed through both of them and entered her combination.

"Brooke…" Peyton started.

"Library's that way," she cut her off, opening her locker door, "I'm sure you two have a lot of making out to catch up on."

She'd hoped the death glare she was giving both of them was enough to ward off their lacking apologetic attempts, but since karma was so on her side right now, it wasn't.

"We just want to talk to you," Lucas pleaded.

"You can't avoid us forever," Peyton added in, almost immediately.

"Funny…'cause I don't plan to ever talk to either of you again - and watch me," Brooke said flatly, pointing to each of them and effectively shooting down their previous responses.

Even when she slammed her locker shut and began to walk away, they still didn't get it.

"Brooke wait -" Peyton called after her.

"Go to Hell and leave me alone," she returned, just loud enough for them to hear, and made her way out the building to her parked VW Bug, tossing her bag in the back seat since the top was down, and drove off to run damage control elsewhere.

* * *

"Thirty-one…thirty-two…thirty-three…thirty-four…" 

What you are hearing is the sound of Nathan Scott counting his muscles into numbness. Not like it was somehow abnormal for him - he was used to blowing off steam in the form of weight-lifting and other highly stimulating aerobic activities. Hey, it was better than punching holes in the walls and getting bitched at by his dad **yet **again. And plus, this way he got to stay in shape and look good doing it, so he didn't really have any complaints…well, maybe one: the fact that Brooke's car had just pulled into his driveway and she was currently walking up to him like she had something to say that he actually wanted to hear.

Sitting up from his horizontal position, he wiped some sweat from his brow and leaned forward on his thighs.

"What do you want Brooke"

He watched as she tucked her hands in the pockets of her dark blue valor jacket that went perfectly with her dark blue valor pants, white tank, and white K-Swiss - typical Brooke, always needing to coordinate.

"To apologize. For what I did to you, you and Haley."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think" he jabbed, getting up from his perch and grabbing a nearby hand towel to wrap around his neck.

"Maybe…but I'm tryin' to fix my karma, y'know…appease the gods so…I'm sorry."

"Whatever. Tim filmed it for 'Drunk High School Girls 6' so…"

She nodded as he snatched up a water bottle and squirted the liquid into his mouth, eyeing her unfavorably.

"Guess I had that coming…"

"Guess so" he answered shortly.

"Look Nathan…I just want you to know that I'm gonna try to fix it - get you and Haley back on track."

"Don't bother - she made it pretty clear this morning she didn't want anything to do with me, so…it's not meant to be."

"So that's it…"

He looked at her, wondering what she was expecting.

"You guys aren't even gonna try to at least be friends"

Nathan was getting fed up really quickly - with Brooke, with being reminded of his lack of a future with Haley, with his lack of a workout - just generally fed up.

"Are you done? I'm kinda busy."

"Nathan "

"What? What do you want me to say Brooke? Oh sure, it's okay for you to be a bitch to other people because your boyfriend obviously wasn't getting what he needed from you so he moved on to someone else - that what you wanna hear"

Well then…

On impulse, Brooke winced, and her mossy-colored eyes gradually started to water before overflowing as she fought to keep her bottom lip from trembling. "Wow…okay…I'm sorry I bothered you…but I hope you can forgive me."

Ducking her head, she did her best to wipe her face clean and turned to leave. Nathan, being overcome by his guilt, followed her and caught her arm, which she snatched away.

"Come on Brooke…"

He reached out and attempted to pull her back to him, thankful that she finally relented, facing him and letting his arms wrap around her neck. She in turn clung loosely to his back and allowed herself to cry, her face buried in his chest.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean that…I didn't mean that, okay" he assured her, waiting for a response - she nodded and gave a muffled sniff.

And they stood there for a while, holding on to each other. Eventually Brooke pulled back to examine the possible mess she'd made on his shirt - eh, it wasn't too bad. She hadn't worn any make-up that day, so the worst of it was just tear stains. He let his arms fall so his hands were settled at her hips, and she rubbed the wet spot gingerly, a sad grin creeping across her mouth.

"You need a shower."

Nathan chuckled at her frankness. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't worry - it's not that bad…I'm used to boy smell."

"That's a good thing I guess…you're practically bathing in it during practice anyway" he joked, hoping to get her to laugh - she giggled quietly, so he considered that mission accomplished.

It took them a moment to realize they were still invading each other's personal space, and Nathan made the first move, pulling his hands from her sides while she tucked hers back into her pockets.

"Well…I guess I'll see you around"

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah, probably."

She returned the modest smile, combing her hair behind her ears and giving a slight wave before heading to her car.

"Hey Brooke" Nathan called after her as she opened the driver's seat door, and she her head shot up in his direction.

"If you need anything…y'know…"

Brooke's grin widened, realizing his guy-ness wouldn't let him elaborate on that statement. "I know."

* * *

Alright, so...Chapter 2 should be up momentarily. It's already written, I just need to add it. :) 


	2. Brush Your Shoulders Off

**Flawless Imperfections**

By: SnarkMasterJ

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own anything even remotely related to OTH or any of its subsidies. So if you want to sue me, you'll have to find another reason besides that. And forget about those stalking charges Chad filed…no one ever proved anything.  
**A/N:** Alright, as promised, here's Ch. 2. All shout-outs and love messages apply. Enjoy and RR!

* * *

**CHAPTER II: Brush Your Shoulders Off**

Well, one down…one to go. Seeing as how Brooke had managed to smooth things over with Nathan, she had yet to go and try to do the same with Haley. Somehow, she saw that scenario as being imminently painful and ten times more difficult. But she'd earned it - whatever thin ice she'd been prancing on prior to the "incident", it had been all but shattered now. She'd have to start from square one, and she knew that.

Pulling up in front of Karen's Café, she ignored the knots fusing together in her stomach and braved the Walk of Shame through the front entrance.

Haley's head shot up at the sound of the bell above the door jingling, and immediately her countenance became noticeably overcast. Rolling her eyes, she busied herself with various empty tables.

"We're closed."

Brooke looked around the restaurant, confused. Then the light bulb inside her head clicked on, and she tried to grin and bear it.

"Oh I get it…it's just closed to me, that's - real clever Hales, you have a great sense of humor."

Haley ignored Brooke's attempt at killing her with kindness and continued to remain stoic.

"Is there a smile on my face?"

"No…there's not. And I have a pretty good idea why," she admitted solemnly.

"Well good for you, are we done here?"

"Haley…"

"What _Brooke_?"

Brooke paused before she said something she'd want to take back later and went through with the original plan.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry for what I did, to you and to Nathan, and I've already apologized to him and I'm trying to apologize to you, and I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me and we can go back to just not being friends instead of you hating me and wanting me dead…"

Something in Haley's face seemed to change, but if it did, she wasn't going to let on any time soon.

"Okay, I think we're done here now," Brooke finalized, nodding with a wilted grin and turning so she could head out the door.

Well…she thought she was heading to the door. It seemed to have a Lucas in front of it, and he'd brought his skank-a-licious accessory with him.

Oh what fun.

"Brooke," Lucas and Peyton said at the same time, though Peyton seemed to have more venom behind her words.

"Leaving," she choked, prepared to disregard them both and leave the premises.

"Brooke, come on," Lucas called after her and started to follow, but Peyton pulled him back by his arm.

"Don't bother…it's not worth it," she told him, though not as quietly as she thought, since Brooke hadn't left yet.

Incensed, Brooke pivoted back in their direction, burning holes in their retreating backs with her eyes, and stalked up to them, tapping Peyton on the shoulder.

What Peyton got when she turned around was a nice and sharp slap in the face, which she instantly began to nurse, and she gasped.

"Neither was that, but I did it anyway didn't I," Brooke whispered back to her icily, though it was just as quiet as she had been - which ultimately hadn't been that quiet at all - and she caroused out of Karen's, leaving Peyton with a stinging face and Lucas and Haley's jaws hanging on the floor.

* * *

A couple of days later, Brooke sat, prepared to pour over _Return to Me_ and a pint of Ben Jerry's when she received a knock at her front door. She almost didn't answer it, given her current state of casual dress, but she figured whoever was at the other end would just have to deal with her coordinating Sponge Bob pajamas.

Turning the knob, she was surprised to find Nathan standing in her doorway, smelling of fast food. "Hi."

"Hi," he returned tentatively, unable to help noticing how cute she looked in her white beater and flannel pants, wrapped in a down comforter.

She wiped her face and under her eyes, aware her nose was probably bright red and somewhat embarrassed. "What're you doing here? And why do you smell like…French fries?"

He stopped staring at her long enough to pull out the enormous bag of grease pit goodies from behind his back, grinning and waiting for her approval.

"Wow…heart attack in a bag…thanks Nate, you shouldn't have."

Nathan rolled his eyes at her dryness. "Come on…I stopped by the café for some food, I heard about what happened," he paused upon seeing how uncomfortable she got when he mentioned it but decided to press on, "…and judging by how I haven't seen you around school much, I know you haven't been out, and I thought you might be hungry."

"Oh yeah, y'know – nothing like contemplating a riveting encounter with the two people I hate most in the world for a few days to stir up the old appetite…"

"Don't be such a bitch, Brooke – I'm just tryin' to cheer you up."

"Congratulations, anything else?"

He was taken aback by her harsh tone but knew it was just a defense mechanism. "No, not really…I mean, I guess I'll have to eat two bacon cheeseburgers with extra cheese, two orders of extra large fries, **and** drink two strawberry milkshakes all by myself," he teased, looking inside the bag for effect.

Her interest piqued, she drew closer, pulling the bag open with her index finger and shooting a skeptical glance at the contents, then transferred the glance to him, annoyed with his cocky eyebrow smirk face thing he did so often. Damn her for being a slave to her stomach.

Finally, she relented, stepping aside so he could come in.

"Nice pj's," he said in passing, making his way to the living room and grinning at the glare he felt hit his back, accompanied by the front door slamming shut.

Upon joining him on the couch, she saw him holding up her DVD of choice condescendingly. "_Return to Me_?"

She snatched it from him, tossing it on the adjacent chair. "I was depressed."

"Was?" he retorted.

"Just hand me a burger, smartass."

He obeyed, huffing and shaking his head at her hostility. After a comfortable silence had settled into the conversation, Brooke decided to break it. "So are you going to tell me?"

Nathan continued to eat his sandwich, confused. "Tell you what?"

"Who told you what happened…"

"Oh…that…Karen did."

It was her turn to look confused. "How'd she find out?"

"She said Haley told her…something about you coming to apologize to Haley and then Lucas and Peyton showed up, and then you slapped the shit out of Peyton and left."

"I doubt those were her exact words…"

He shrugged, munching on a fry. "Close enough…but hey, at least I can say I was right about you all along."

Her eyebrow quirked. "Meaning?"

"You have some serious anger problems," he concluded with a chuckle, ducking the fry that came flying at his head.

"She deserved it, the skank…'It's not worth it'…bite my ass," she mumbled, snatching up her milkshake and taking a sip.

"Hell, I'm just sorry I missed it…a real, live bitch-slap…must've felt pretty sweet."

Brooke stared absently at the TV screen. "You have no idea…so did you have anything else in mind besides making me gain ten pounds?"

"Nope, that was pretty much it," he joked, finishing off his fries and flipping through the channels at lightning speed.

"Figures."

There was a deafening pause, and he became annoyed with her silence. "Well I've got nothing else to do, so…"

"Oh, you'd postpone writing Haley an apologetic love sonnet for little ol' me? How sweet."

His eyes shifted to her angrily. "Am I the one who cheated on you with your best friend then started dating her?"

Her face grew solemn, and she stared into her fry box. "No…"

"Quit treating me like it, then…I'm here because I thought you might need some company or something to take your mind off all the bullshit that's been happening lately…I mean, you were gonna watch _Return to Me_, Brooke…"

"Alright, geez…I know I'm pathetic, the reminder isn't so needed…and I'm sorry I'm taking it out on you. It's not your fault."

Nathan watched her sink deeper into depression, stirring her milkshake with her straw and letting her mind wander. This was just too much.

Impulsively, he grabbed everything out of her hands and off her lap then pulled her up from the couch, dragging her across the foyer to the stairs.

"Nathan, what the hell are you doing?"

"Getting you dressed – we're going out."

She instantly groaned and complained, barely pulling her own weight. "Naaaathaaaaaan…"

"Oh shut up, don't be such a boob…you need to get up off your ass and do something before you drive us both crazy."

"I was quite comfortable on my ass, thank you very much," she said through a glare, though she still followed him to her room.

"Okay, obviously stuffing your face and watching TV is just going to make you sulk for the rest of the day, and that's even more pathetic then watching that stupid chick flick…"

"_Return to Me_ is not stupid."

He shot her a weary eye message over his shoulder and continued toward her closet, shuffling through it with no comprehension as to what he should be looking for. Brooke accordingly rested her head against his back, starting up another round of pouting and whining and lightly stomping her feet.

"I don't wanna hear it, Davis – you're crampin' my style with all this loner crap."

"Well **you** don't have to be here!"

Nathan turned to face her, frowning. "You're lucky I am here, alright? Not many people would actually put up with a bitter, weepy drama queen for nothing."

Crossing her arms, she felt the tears forming but tried to swallow them down and find something inanimate to look at.

Dammit – why did that sound so much less harsh in his head? Tired, from him always saying mean things and just the situation in general, he sighed and attempted to loosen up. "Look, I'm sorry…just pick something to wear so we can get outta here."

She rolled her eyes, a few tears running down her face. "And go where, Nathan?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "I dunno…does it matter? Anything's better than ice cream and Sponge Bob pajamas."

A weak smile spread across her countenance, and she pushed his arm. "Don't be jealous…"

Nathan returned the smile and pulled her into a hug, which she gladly accepted, burrowing in as close as she could and having a good cry.

"This hurts so bad," she managed in a muffled, hoarse tone after a long pause.

He shrugged again before replying, "That's life." And they fell into one of their comfortable silences again, him letting her take as much time as she needed to regain control.

Eventually, she loosened her grip a bit and looked up at him. "We've been doing this a lot lately."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, so she continued. "Hugging…and crying…" Nathan's face took on an air of disbelief, and she corrected herself, "…well, actually, it was just me doing the crying, but…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought…"

"Well…for what it's worth, you give great hugs."

Almost on cue, in came the smirk, and he humbly cleared his throat and brushed off some imaginary dirt from his left shoulder.

She pretended to be disgusted, pushing him away dramatically and moving toward her closet. "Consider that mood ruined…"

"I do what I can," he added, dropping onto the edge of her bed and picking up the magazine that sat there to busy himself with.

Taking into account how adamant Nathan had been about her getting dressed, he sure wasn't interested in helping the process along. Every outfit she held up, he'd do his stupid shrug and keep reading. She'd gotten to the point where she threw in a naughty lingerie outfit just to see if he was even conscious – of course, him being the typical guy he was, he smirked and she had his undivided attention. She quickly shot down all his hopes with a withering glare and the search went on. When all was said and done, she just decided on a salmon spaghetti tank and matching shawl on top and a pair of black capris with heels of the same color.

"Alright, get out so I can get dressed," she demanded, laying her outfit on her bed. He eyed her like she had to be joking and continued to flip through another magazine. Growling in aggravation, she grabbed her stuff and stomped into the bathroom, dressing hurriedly and prepared to just walk out looking like crap. But, she stopped herself and looked in the mirror – well, a brush certainly never hurt anyone. Maybe a little mascara and some lip gloss…no telling where Nathan would drag her off to, judging by how he was acting. Taking all the necessary appearance precautions, she gave one last glance and walked out.

Surprisingly, he looked up from his compelling choice in reading material and gave her the once-over. She struck a pose against the bathroom doorframe and gave her best hair flip, earning a chuckle. "Clean up pretty nice, don't I?"

He got up from his perch and walked over to her, taking her hand and heading out the room. "Two words, Brooke – Sponge Bob."

Brooke glared at him and managed to grab her mini purse, glad to have something in her hands so she could hit him with it – which she did.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Like I'm going to tell you."

He almost heard her smirking behind him.

* * *

Okay...hope you guys liked that. I'll try to update often. Please leave feedback!


	3. Pass That Dutch

**Flawless Imperfections**

By: trory-goddess

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything even remotely related to OTH or any of its subsidies. So if you want to sue me, you'll have to find another reason besides that. And forget about those stalking charges Chad and James filed, well…no one ever proved anything.  
**RATING:** PG-13/R (Right now, for language - later? For other things)  
**PAIRING:** N/B  
**SUMMARY:** You can find me in the club...  
**A/N:** Okay, so I wasn't originally going to have the end of his chapter be...the end of this chapter, but I figured it opened the door for more to happen in Ch. 4 so we could get right to Ch.5 6 (the "fun"...not giving details, but I'm excited). Anywho, hope you guys enjoy, and leave feedback!

**SHOUT-OUT: **Lisa, for being my Nookie PIC - and all the rest of my FF buddies that I know and love (Maz, Mere, Judy, Ciera, Aleah, Rosie, etc.) - thank you. :)

* * *

**CHAPTER III: Pass That Dutch**

Staring at a passing road sign, Brooke's vision wandered to Nathan driving in the seat next to her, and she smiled. "Outerbanks…"

Nathan glanced away from the road and grinned at her. "Yep."

"You do realize it's a Wednesday."

"Yeah…and tomorrow's Thursday…"

Her face cringed. "Fine – get sauced and pass out in an alley, see if I care. No one at school will miss you."

"Give me a break, Brooke – we've had parties during the week plenty of times –"

"Yeah, and have they ever ended well?"

"Irrelevant…besides, this way, the only person you have to embarrass yourself in front of is me," he retorted, grinning smugly.

"Ha…ha…this'll never work anyway, I didn't bring my fake ID."

"I'm on it, Davis, believe me – the place we're going doesn't card."

She raised her eyebrow, intrigued. "How'd you manage to score a spot like that without me knowing about it first?"

"Just opened…and last I heard, you been keeping your boozing strictly to the Tree Hill circuit…and your living room."

"So, what – you're keeping tabs on me now?"

His expression withered at her denseness. "When has the stuff you've done not been everybody's business…really…"

Brooke felt the impulse to be offended, but he was right. "Point taken…I just didn't realize you'd become part of the everybody…look out, Nate, might mean you actually care."

Nathan's eyes met with hers, and she almost dared him to disagree. He looked away briefly to execute his superb parking job then shut off the ignition and looked back. When he leaned in, Brooke assumed she knew what he was going to do and wet her lips on instinct. Needless to say, she had to keep herself from appearing to be profoundly miffed when his face passed by hers and he reached over to open her door.

Restoring their personal space, he kept his stare trained on her while he said, "We're here," before minimally wiggling his eyebrows and getting out of the car.

She chided herself for getting so worked up over something so minor and mumbled, "Thanks for the update," eventually joining him in walking up the path to the club.

* * *

"This is fun."

Nathan looked at Brooke over his Heineken, mid-sip, to see if she was being sincere – he saw dimples and an upturned mouth, and they didn't look sarcastic or sassy, so after he swallowed, it seemed like it was a good idea to assume she'd meant it.

"Yeah, we're a bunch of regular party animals…oh hey, have you even finished your first drink yet?"

Brooke's face soured. "Getting drunk off my ass, acting like a moron, and waking up the next morning barely able to remember my own name is Old Brooke…besides, being drunk does not equate having a good time."

He eyed her disbelievingly, his brow hitched. She tried to pretend like she didn't see him for a bit, but then he just kept staring. Bastard.

"Jesus…would it give you satisfaction to refill my Rum Coke before I'm even finished with it, would that make ya happy, Nathan? Hey, while you're at it, why not get us a round of shots in case we run out of alcohol to keep us busy on the train to Lush City!"

Taking her glass and smirking, he replied, "You read my mind," and quickly left to fulfill his task.

She clenched her teeth and rolled her eyes, wondering how much longer she could stand this. Her annoyance was none-too-assuaged when he returned, libation in hand, looking quite pleased with himself. But of course, like all smart girls, she thought quickly on her feet and had a plan to counteract his assumptions of her character.

"What're you so giddy about," she grumbled, snatching her drink from him and taking a resentful sip.

"Who said I was giddy?"

"I did."

"Okay…sooooo…."

"You look giddy, alright? Look at you…being giddy…"

He drank from his beer with a worried expression. "I'm just sitting here."

"Yes, that's your cover. But on the inside, you're giddy."

"Right…"

"You are. You're giddy about getting me drunk."

"More like I'm giddy about getting you to lighten up and stop moping around," he corrected.

"Ah…so you admit to being giddy."

Immediately, his countenance entailed that his patience was on "E" and he wasn't going to put up with this much longer. "It's a long way to walk from here, Brooke…"

"Hm…now who needs to lighten up," she teased, smirking into her straw devilishly.

In turn, he caught on to her game and grinned to himself. "Cute…"

"I try."

Not seeing the need for conversation, they started looking around the club for weird people to make fun of. Off-handedly, Nathan noticed a group of guys staring pretty hard at something near him – it didn't take him long to figure out that the something, or rather someone, was Brooke, totally oblivious to the pack of hounds devouring and undressing her with their eyes. Oddly enough, it bothered him. A lot. So a lot that he had to say something about it and quick.

"Looks like you've got a fan club."

Her face cringed. "Might have to be a bit more specific, kinda – caught me off guard with the random there."

He nodded at the cluster of jerk-offs just behind her, hinting for her not to be obvious about looking. Once she'd done a discreet peek over her shoulder, she turned back to him, grinning. "They're kinda cute, I guess."

"Yeah…they might even be able to count to ten all by themselves… really gets you in the mood, doesn't it?"

"Oooooo, look at you – goin' all Big Brother on me," she joked, instantaneously realizing that normally siblings didn't subtly flirt with each other and wishing she could take back what she said.

Nathan noticed her uneasiness and smirked. "Not quite…" 

"Well, non-Big-Brother – why don't you make yourself scarce and get me one more refill…I think one of them wants to come over here and talk to me."

He eyed her with heightened skepticism but decided against making himself look like the jealous boyfriend and pushed off to do her bidding.

Standing and waiting to be served, Nathan got an idea of his own – if Brooke wanted to flirt with the retards, then she'd flirt with the retards. He knew those types of guys, and he knew what they were after. But Brooke seemed to think she could handle it, so he'd let her handle it.

After making himself scarce for some odd minutes, he figured he'd go back to the table and check on the status of things…no need in making her think he'd left her there. As he returned, he noticed that nothing seemed amiss about the scenario – Brooke and Retard #1 were having a perfectly normal conversation. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. He had no idea why, but that just served to piss him off. No idea why. Whatsoever.

Slightly stone-faced, he made his presence known by cutting between them and setting Brooke's drink down on the table.

Almost immediately, Brooke's face brightened. "Baby! Hey…"

The only explanation for what she did next would've been being extremely desperate, because out of nowhere, she grabbed his face and laid one on him – like, seriously laid one on him. He was surprised at first, naturally, but it didn't take him long to reciprocate, and he let her tongue fill his mouth before answering back with his own. It occurred to both of them that Retard #1 had probably left seconds ago, but that didn't seem to stop anything. He almost forgot why they'd started kissing in the first place, but he went with the flow – it was an easy flow to go with…until Brooke ended the kiss, tugging on his bottom lip for a brief moment then locking eyes with him. Well…that was somewhat unexpected. Awesome, but unexpected. He gulped and tried to find his bearings so he could figure out why she'd done it.

Shockingly, he managed a smirk. "I think he's gone…"

That seemed to break the ice, and she let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah…um…sorry."

"Hey, I saw him too…I don't blame you. Plus, I rarely hold it against hot girls when they kiss me."

"So you think I'm hot, huh," she teased, grinning.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I think we need to get outta here."

"Oh, I'm all for that. No more alcohol for me, uh uh…"

"Me either. I'm driving."

Her expression illuminated with understanding. "This is true. You're so responsible."

"It's a gift," he quipped distractedly, trying to pay the tab. When he'd done so, she looped her arm through his and asked, "So…where to, boss?"

Nathan smiled and glanced down at her. "Not sure yet…"

* * *

So...RR, and I hope you guys enjoyed! (Thanx to those that reviewed as well.)


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